Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [114]
After lovemaking that left them both breathless and stunned at the wonderment of such fulfilment, they swam in the pool again—this time joyously naked, romping and splashing like children. Finally, they dressed and headed back to the schooner. As Tyndall rowed he gazed at Olivia’s sparkling eyes and happy smile. ‘Your face gives everything away,’ he chided.
‘You look fetchingly rumpled yourself.’
They laughed, exchanging an intimate glance, both silently pledging to try to appear circumspect in front of the crew.
Ahmed wasn’t fooled for a moment. He glanced from one to the other, noting Olivia’s flushed face, her persistent closeness to Tyndall, whose studied nonchalance was contradicted by swift and burning glances towards Olivia.
That evening after Olivia retired to her bunk, Tyndall sat in the main cabin poring over a map by lantern light. Ahmed stuck his head in the doorway. ‘We movin’ somewhere new?’ he asked, seeing the map. Ahmed was anxious to get back to serious pearling.
‘Yep. Some time back I met an old codger in a bar. Had a wooden leg. Told me the best place he’d ever seen was the Buccaneer Archipelago.’ Tyndall adjusted a protractor over the map.
‘He lose his leg up that place then?’ enquired Ahmed.
Tyndall ignored the question, remarking, ‘Easy sailing. What’s a couple of days. Could be interesting. Yes, I think we should go.’ He looked at Ahmed and couldn’t stop the slightly embarrassed smile that spread across his face. ‘Might never have the opportunity again. Good for Mem Hennessy, after the storm … and everything. Me, too.’ For the first time that day, thoughts of Maya and Niah rushed to his mind and a shadow passed over his face.
Ahmed nodded, his expression unchanged. ‘Bagus. I tell boys we go … where we go, tuan?’
‘Camden Peninsula, set a course nor-north-east,’ instructed Tyndall, folding the map.
The schooner rolled in seas off Cape Leveque and the threat of bad weather forced them to pull into one of the creeks that fed into the sea. The mangrove trees were thick and protective, sheltering the creek and spreading into the ocean for several miles. Rarely disturbed, the roots grew upwards and entwined fifteen feet above the ground, forming an impassable canopy. Deciding to explore, Tyndall and Olivia picked their way through the maze of broader lower roots, using them like stepping stones. Occasionally they disturbed climbing fish basking on the tree branches and the long catfish-like creatures plopped into the marshy water or flipped across the surface.
When they eventually returned to the boat, they found Ahmed and the crew had caught several fat mud crabs and mangrove pigeons.
From then on they had perfect sailing conditions up the coast. It was plain sailing for two days, passing through Buccaneer Archipelago and Yampi Sound. They skirted a large island reef and moved closer to land and finally sailed past Camden Peninsula to Augustus Island.
‘I feel like we’re the first people ever to come here,’ said Olivia, shading her eyes to scan the lush and seemingly deserted island.
They anchored in a sheltered cove where rose-coloured sandstone cliffs soared three hundred feet to a plateau upon which several large baobab trees stood sentry on the skyline. Lush tropical growth fringed the base of the cliffs. They could hear the screech of birds and distant sound of waterfalls that glinted on the pink cliffs. Before them was a crescent-shaped white-sand beach, with tall trees casting shadows which led to crystal green water. At one end of the island the deeper green indicated the ocean floor dropped off to a greater depth.
Tyndall nudged Olivia. ‘There’s a perfect place to dive.’
‘It’s so beautiful,’ sighed Olivia. ‘It’s got a strange mood, don’t you think? It’s really inviting, but there’s also something mysterious about it. Or am I imagining things?’
‘Well, let’s go ashore and find out,’ said Tyndall buoyantly.
They went ashore in two